Gas Chamber

This is everyone's favorite event. Going into a closed room full of CS gas. It's supposed to help us trust our training and equipment. You walk in with the Protective Mask (Pro Mask) on. The Gas Chamber in Basic was much more concentrated than it was this time. It was enough to get a reaction, but not to the point of causing the massive flow of snot. We went into the Chamber as Platoons.

Team Development Course

The Team Development Course is designed to force Soldiers to work in small teams to navigate a number of obstacles. Our team was made up of the 1st and 2nd Squads of 3rd Platoon. Generally you have about 45 minutes to do an obstacle, but as usual the time was condensed so only 30 minutes was allotted for each event. Our Squads worked well together and we successfully completed 5/6 obstacles.

On this obstacle, we were supposed to use a limited number of boards of various lengths to get across a river. I got across early, and helped everyone else get down.

This one we had to rig a seat and get everyone across. Once we got a few people across, we needed to get a stretcher with a dummie across. We had run out of rope, so I used four web belts from our pants to lash the body underneath the seat. Than I pulled myself and the dummie across. I was tired at the end of it, but it was nice to know I was strong enough to do it.

Our Impulsiveness Strikes Again!

I'm really glad our Israel trip didn't work out because the time between Ryan's graduation and leaving for Army training was too short as it was. We knew in February that Ryan's family was planning a cruise, but didn't give it much thought mostly because it was just a few days before Ryan needed to leave for Ft. Jackson. Then... on a whim (15 days before sailing) we booked the cruise. I'm not sure if we were actually invited or just tagging along, but we tried minimize the impact of our children on our fellow travelers. The fact that we weren't required to have passports made the trip much less complicated.

I was really worried about driving 25 hours over a 70 hour period with our 3 boys especially since James had cried all the way home from Spring City on Easter weekend with less than a 2 hour drive. As we planned it, we decided to drive straight through to Dallas (20.5 hours) without stopping right after Benjamin got out of school on Friday afternoon so that we could go to church Sunday morning and have a short drive that afternoon. The first ~3 hours of the drive seemed like it would be a long trip, "Why aren't we stopping for the night!?!?!?" (B. was very concerned that we wouldn't be staying at a hotel) but after Moab, UT it was okay. They boys slept fine in the car and we almost made it straight through, but ended up stopping in a random empty lot one exit short of a rest stop near Amarillo for a 3 hour cat nap at 2 a.m.

We should have taken more photos and we missed a lot of good opportunities, but it doesn't help that I can't find the camera battery charger. I know it was packed, but don't remember the last time I saw it (I finally found it weeks after our trip). I also didn't get the photos off Ryan's phone before he left for South Carolina, so I'm not sure what I'm missing here. There were photos from our gas-up in Moab among others.

Speaking of Moab, Ryan says I'm granola (based on my cooking habits and lack of daily showers), but I'm not THAT granola. (B. while listening to our conversation said I make the best granola :) The sign in the City Market restroom that said "no shaving, bathing, or washing clothes in the sink" and the people on the streets that inspired the sign verified my lack of "crunchy granola-ness".

I never did get my Taco Cabana tortillas and queso while in Texas, but the surprise trip to Free Birds made up for it thanks to Lisa Pippin (Her and her hubby's hospitality was much appreciated. It was fun to catch up)! I don't have the stomach capacity I used to because a "Monster" spinach black bean burrito was too much, but I still gladly devoured it all.

Sailing out of Galveston.

I can't remember what the boys were whining about... but they were being grumpy.

The boys ate with us in the dining room every night except one. I wanted them to be able to try all of the exotic foods and the dining staff was great in helping to entertain them with napkin animals and origami frogs. 

I love how my boys are willing to try new foods. For lunch right after we boarded the ship, Benjamin ordered an anchovy pizza and motivated me to try one too. He didn't even flinch, but I gagged when I hit a bone. I thought it tasted like what the beach on Galveston smelled like. It was pretty gross.

We all ate frog legs (which tasted like chicken. Ryan said they would have been fine if he hadn't know what they were. I'm wondering why they're not kosher?), baked Alaska, and all sorts of other gourmet foods. I was hoping they'd have escargot on the menu one evening. When I mentioned the possibility to Benjamin, he said, "No Snails!!! Snails are my friends." Too bad he didn't get the opportunity. :)

 Formal Night. I can't believe all the boys are smiling. Sorry for the spoiler, but this is going to be our family Christmas photo this year because it looks like Ryan is going to be gone.

Since Ryan will also be gone during our 10th Anniversary in July, we decided to count this trip as part of our celebration. We haven't had a portrait together alone since before Benjamin was born. 

We didn't get a towel animal our first night because we were initially scheduled for late dining and our steward didn't get the communique so he was surprised when we showed up and wanted to get the boys to bed before our original dinning time. The following evenings, the boys were excited to find the towel animals, but Benjamin has a destructive streak and they generally didn't last more than a minute or two.

Port at Progreso, Mexico

I'm glad Ryan is as adventurous or more adventurous than I am. I wanted to see two sets of ruins and there wasn't a tour to do it, so I researched hiring a private taxi. I was having second thoughts when we found the taxis, especially since our driver didn't speak English, but Ryan went ahead with my plan and it all worked out as we intended.

Dzibilchaltun Mayan Ruins

 Benjamin was acting like he had to pee at the museum, but he kept saying he didn't need to go. We walked out to the ruins trail and then he decided he needed to go. Ryan took him back while I took Alexander and James to the ruins. 


There was a set of ruins in either direction and I chose the further ones because I figured we wouldn't have time to go back to them if we went to the ones by the sinkhole first. I held Alexander's hand while I carried James up the pyramid and then asked them to stay put while I hiked back down to take a picture. They willingly sat there and waited for me to climb back up. It was a bit amazing (if not a slightly reckless decision on my part)! 

Ryan and Benjamin hadn't found us where we were, so I decided we needed to get to the other ruins. The trail was really rocky and I had a hard time pushing the umbrella stroller. We didn't have enough water. Alexander really wanted to whine and if you know him, he sometimes goes overboard with the whining (He's 3 and I'm hoping it's just a stage. Being the younger brother doesn't help he sense of control either)... but he was really good for me on the humid, sun-beaten, dehydrated, bumpy trek to the other end of the park and willingly held James on his lap in the stroller. We found Ryan and Benjamin right away after our arrival. They had climbed a pyramid on the other side when they couldn't find us. It turns out that Ryan figured I would pick the closer ruins. He must not know me that well after 10 years... because "we're Lewis' and we do hard things!"


I wish we had time to climb more of the pyramids, but we were afraid we'd run out of time.

I asked the boys if they wanted to get their swimsuits on before we left the taxi because we wouldn't get a chance to later, but they were sure we wouldn't need them. I wish they would trust me more. They were wishing they had their swimwear on when we were at the cenote (sinkhole).     





Xcambo Mayan Ruins.

 Yes, we were the only ones there!!!!!

 Our taxi driver Gaspar. Our tour was a sad waste of a 15 passenger van. I wish we could have found some people to share our adventure with us, but it was sort of impulsive like we tend to be!

Glass Bottom Boat Excursion at Cozumel.

They need better air-conditioning (I'm not sure if it was worse because I'm expecting, but I was quite nauseated by the end of the trip)! In my opinion, the tunnel in the Omaha Zoo Aquarium is a better experience, but I think the boys enjoyed the boat.

 Benjamin proved he can color in the lines when he wants to!

 On our last day, we scoured the ship in a family scavenger hunt looking for life boat #13 that doesn't exist (Ryan went out an employee door into a blustery afternoon and was questioned by a security officer). We received bonus points for eyeliner mustaches, but couldn't get anyone to loan us their false teeth. I separated from Ryan and the boys in an attempt to get more points. It's amazing how many people talk to you when you have a fake mustache.






Dana, our steward, fulfilled our request of making a monkey towel animal for us on our last night. The boys loved it and it lasted a lot longer than the other ones (~ an hour, but only because we protected it) except for losing its eyes.


As we were driving out of Houston, Benjamin wanted to turn back and re-board the Triumph. He wants to know when we'll go on our next cruise. I wonder if they'd have a stateroom for 4 kids?



We stopped in Amarillo on Saturday night so we could go to church Sunday morning (the internet is so amazing b/c we booked our room an hour out from a McDonalds parking lot after reading reviews and getting a great internet rate!), Afterwards we drove through the rest of the way to UT and arrived at 2 a.m. on Monday morning (Google maps took us on an out-of-the-way tour of south-western Colorado and we luckily found a gas station with pay-at-the pump before our fumes ran out and our tank hit empty). Benjamin even made it to school on Monday (He was well rested because he didn't wake up when we carried him in from the van). Ryan left Tuesday morning for a summer at Ft. Jackson, SC only 3 hours behind schedule.

We're blessed the trip went so well. I love being impulsive when it works!